Collapsible carrier



Patented Jan. 1949 COLLAPSIBLE CARRIER Richard E. Smith, Rydall, Pa... and Paul A. Musso, Riverton, N. J., assignors to C. Schmidt & Sons, Inc., Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania, andKieckhefer Container Company, Camden, N. J., a corporation of Delaware Application August 31, 1946, Serial No. 694,322

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to a collapsible carrier for carrying a plurality of containers such as cans, bottles or the like.

In order to promote the sales of bottled or canned goods, such as beer. soft drinks and other packaged products, it is desirable to supply carriers in which a plurality of cans or bottles can be conveniently transported from the place of purchase to the place of consumption.

One object of the invention is to produce an improved carrier of the type set forth.

A further object is to devise an improved collapsible carrier which is inexpensive to produce, which is compact when collapsed, and which is easily and expeditiously erected or set up for use.

A still further object is to devise a carrier which will, once it is set up, remain in this condition even though it is not loaded, whereby automatic or mechanical loading of the carrier is made practical.

These and other objects are attained by the invention as set forth in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying draw- I ings in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of one of two identical blanks from which a finished carrier, such as that shown in Fig. 3, can be made.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the manner of erecting or setting up the blank of Fig. l to form one side of the carrier of Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a finished carrier embodying the invention, the same being made of two of the blanks shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the carrier shown in Fig. 3 after it is partly collapsed.

Fig. 5 is an end view of the carrier of Fig. 3 shown fully collapsed.

Fig. 6 is a top plan view showing one of the partitions which coacts with the blanks of Fig. 1 to form separate pockets or compartments as shown in Fig. 3.

In Fig. 1 there is shown one of two identical blanks from which the finished multiple carrier of our invention is formed, and. since these blanks are identical, only one of them will be described in detail.

The blank shown in Fig. 1 includes two main portions adapted to form the side walls In and !2 of the carrier, and an intermediate portion adapted to form the bottom It and end walls I6 of the carrier. The side wall I0 is considerably longer, or higher, than the side wall l2, so as to provide an upper handle portion l8, as shown in Fig. 3. The upper handle portion I8 is preferably punched out to provide a finger hole 20.

The bottom wall I4 is longitudinally foldable along a central crease 22, and the end portions thereof are foldable along the angularly disposed, intersecting creases 24. The end walls l6 are also longitudinally foldable along the crease 22, and are foldable relative to the side walls l0 and I2 along creases 26.

The side walls In and I2 are provided with side wings 28 and 30 which are separated from the end walls l6 and which are foldable along the creases 26. The side walls themselves are foldable relative to the bottom wall l4 along the creases 34.

To erect or assemble the blank shown in Fig. 1,.the side walls l0 and [2 are moved, .about the creases 34 as axes, from the position shown in Fig. 1, in which they lie in the plane of the bottom wall M, to the position shown in Fig. 3, in which they are parallel to each other and normal to the bottom wall. The side wings 28 and 33 are then moved, about the creases 26 as axes, from the position of Fig. 1, in which they lie in the plane of the side walls 10 and I2, to the position shown in Fig. 3 in which they are normal to said side walls, with their outer edges 36 in juxtaposition. The end walls iii are now moved about the creases 26 from the position of Fig. l in which they lie in the plane of the bottom wall M, to the position of Fig. 3 in which they are normal to the bottom wall and are parallel to and abut the wings 28 and 30 on the respective sides of the blank. The end walls l6 are secured to the adjacent wings 28 and 30 by cement or by other suitable means.

When the structure above set forth is erected in the manner described, an elongated trough having a handle I8 is produced. However, in order to double the capacity, and at the same time strengthen the construction, a blank identical to that of Fig. 1 is also erected to produce a corresponding trough and. handle, and the handle portion l8 and the side walls Ill of both structures are secured in back-to-back relationship to produce the double-sided carrier of Fig. 3. The two blanks from which the carrier of Fig. 3 is made may be separate pieces or they may be punched out from a single piece of material, with the-resultant blanks joined along the edges 38 of their respective handle portion. The junction of the handles will be creased so that the blanks may be folded into back-to-back relation, as shown in Fig. 3.

The trough thus far described is adapted for reception of bottled, canned, packaged or bulk goods. For example, cans or bottles of beer or 3 the like can be placed in each of the troughs defined by the side walls I and I2, the bottom wall l4 and the end walls I6.

In order to partition each of the troughs thus produced into three compartments, use is made of the wall structure best shown in Figs. 3 and 6. This structure is formed of a blank including two end portions 39 and 40 and an intermediate portion 42.

The end portions 39 and 40 are foldable along creases 44 and the intermediate portion is foldable along the crease 46; When used, the end walls 39 and 40 of the blank are cemented, or

otherwise secured, to the side walls I 0 and I 2,.

with the intermediate wall 42 disposed parallel to the end walls l6 and connecting the side walls l0 and I2 as shown in Fig. 3.

When' it is desired to collapse the carrier from the fully erected to the fully collapsed position, it is only necessary to exert pressure against the opposite sides I2, in the direction of the walls H]. To erect the carrier, upward pressure is exerted on the underside of the bottom walls, whereupon the carrier assumes the position illustrated in Fig. 3.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A single blank for forming a collapsible carrier, said blank being scored to form a first portion adapted to form a first side wall of the finished carrier, 8. second portion adapted to form a second side wall of said carrier, and a third portion intermediate of, and hinged to, said side walls and adapted to constitute a bottom wall for said carrier, said side Walls being also scored along lines normal to their hinged connection with said bottom wall to form opposite marginal tabs which are movable to a first position in which they are substantially normal to the plane of said side and bottom walls and to a second position in which they lie in the plane of said side walls, end wall portions extending from opposite ends of said bottom wall and hinged thereto along scores which are continuations, respectively, of the scores hinging said marginal tabs to said side walls, said end walls being movable to a first position in which they constitute extensions of said bottom wall and lie in the plane of said bottom and side walls, and to a second position in which they are substantially normal to said side and bottom walls, means for securing said end walls to said marginal tabs, said end and bottom walls being provided with a central score which is parallel to the scores between said side walls and said bottom wall, and the portions of said bottom wall adjacent said end walls being scored along inwardly converging lines which end at their intersection with said central score, and a pair of U-shaped members each having the limbs thereof secured, respectively, to said first and second side walls, with the bight portions of said U- shaped members being disposed inwardly of the edges of said first and second side walls and being scored so as to be foldable fiat against, or between said first and second side walls, the marginal portions of the limbs of each of said U-shaped members being deflected toward each other and being secured, respectively, to the adjacent portions of said end walls.

RICHARD E. SMITH. PAUL A. MUSSO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,293,801 Kitt Feb. 11, 1919 1,308,058 Evers July 1, 1919 1,799,657 Tinsl-ey Apr. 7, 1931 2,026,525 Korte Jan. 7, 1936 2,188,730 Swab Jan. 30, 1940 2,326,648 Horr Aug. 10, 1943 2,411,144 Bergstein Nov. 19, 1946 2,416,725 Williamson Mar. 4, 1947 

